-Olivia's POV-

The smell of it got stronger as we headed deep into the forest, the trees getting closer together with each step. We knew that it would only be a matter of time before it would be impossible to travel any further. Not to mention the fact that we were all miserable and hungry, and just a bit damp. Halfway through, some thirty minutes into the trek, I fell down, sinking into the soft earth.

"Help! Help!" I choked, sinking deeper into the quicksand.

Gwen and Max were running over at once, grabbing hold of my arms, and then pulling as hard as they could. When I finally emerged from the ground, I was caked in mud, on top of being dirty, wet, and hungry. This was as awful as things could get, it seemed, but things were about to get a lot worse.

As we neared the freshest deer, I smelled blood. The thick, copper-like scent burned in my nostrils. I had to plug my nose to get rid of the horrible odor. Breathing in and out of my mouth slowly, I saw the worst thing imaginable. Ben was crouched over a deer, seemingly draining the life out of it. He turned around, and hissed in the most frightening way. His mouth was blood-soaked, and his fangs were red with the hot, sticky fluid.

This left a bad taste in my mouth, and I almost vomited. Holding back the vomit as best I could, I slowly approached Ben. His hissing grew louder with each step I took, and my body warned me of the coming danger. I didn't care. I walked forward, and knelt to the ground.

"Ben... Ben, kill me if you must, but I just want my best friend back..." I said, my voice quivering do to the oncoming tears.

He growled a bit, and then shook his head fiercely. "Olivia." He said, in the voice that I remembered as his.

That brought on tears in my eyes. "Ben, you have to listen to me... Please, don't harm any people... I just want you and those around you to be safe..." I sobbed, clutching my chest in agony.

Then, he did something that I would never be prepared for, even with all of the training I'd had to become a Plumber. He walked over to me, smiling strangely, and bent down next to me.

"Heh. Here, let me show you how it is." He sneered, grabbing my arm, and holding it to his lips. Suddenly, I felt his fangs digging into my skin. But I also felt another horrible pain, one much greater and horrific. A burning, terrible burning, smoldered my arm, making it almost numb. I couldn't tell if I was writhing or not, just that it hurt so much.

After about 5 minutes of the burning, I couldn't take it any more. I could now feel myself twisting and rolling on the ground, screaming all the while. I heard other voices as well, like Ben's laughter, and Max's and Gwen's shouts from farther away. But worst of all were my screams. They pierced the air like a stone to calm water.

A while later, could have been days, weeks even, the burning stopped altogether. I woke up, and rubbed my head.